PAM. 

MISC. 


Foreign  Missions  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

1906  Marks  of  Progress  1906 

♦♦♦  ♦♦♦ 

The  year  1 906  closed  with  many  missionaries  and  foreign  visitors  assembled 
in  Bareilly,  where  William  Butler  planted  the  mission  in  1856.  The  JUBILEE 
of  Methodist  Missions  in  Southern  Asia  was  there  celebrated. 
At  one  of  the  meetings  the  visitors  were  thrilled  at  the  sight  of 
523  recently  converted  Hindus  from  adjoining  territory,  gath¬ 
ered  together  to  receive  baptism  at  the  hands  of  their  foreign  friends. 

The  Jubilee  statistics  show  that  after  fifty  years  there  were  in  Southern  Asian 
Methodism  (including  India,  Malaysia,  and  the  Philippines)  1  32,463  members 
and  probationers,  which,  with  the  more  than  57,000  baptized  children,  made 
the  total  Methodist  community  number  more  than  1  90,000.  During  this  fiftieth 
year  alone  there  had  been  nearly  1 9,000  baptized.  The  1,519  schools  of  all 
grades,  with  their  41,759  pupils,  and  the  3,441  Sabbath  schools,  with  their 
149,279  scholars,  showed  what  Methodism  had  accomplished  in  educational 
work,  secular  and  religious,  in  fifty  years.  With  the  349  foreign  missionaries 
there  were  associated  in  this  Jubilee  year  4,972  native  Christian  workers.  At 
the  end  of  fifty  years  there  were  350  Methodist  churches  and  394  parsonages, 
the  value  of  which,  with  the  other  mission  property,  amounted  to  millions  of 
dollars. 

The  most  noteworthy  feature  of  the  work  in  India  for  the  year  was  the  spread 
of  the  revival  spirit  which  animated  almost  every  Conference  and  presiding 
elder’s  district  in  the  field.  From  the  revival  on  one  circuit  in  North  India  544 
baptisms  had  resulted  before  the  end  of  the  year.  Concerning  the  workers  of 
another  district,  the  presiding  elder  stated  that  a  number  were  so  transformed  as 
to  be  scarcely  recognizable.  At  the  summer  school  of  one  of  the  districts  of  the 
Northwest  India  Conference  a  revival  began  which  spread  to  the  boys  and  girls 
of  the  boarding  schools  in  the  city  where  the  summer  school  was  going  on.  The 
presiding  elder  said:  “What  might  be  called  a  tornado  of  grace  fairly  swept 
nearly  all  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  boarding  school  into  the  kingdom  in  two 
nights.” 

The  devotion  of  the  Indian  Christians  is  evinced  by  the  report  which  was 
made  at  the  Jubilee  with  regard  to  the  offerings  of  the  native  Christians.  This 
report  showed  that  without  counting  the  grants  made  by  the  British  Government 
or  the  collections  received  outside  of  India,  the  Jubilee  contributions  amounted  to 


Rs.  136,964,  or  $45,655.  This  means  a  contribution  of  about  thirty  cents  a 
member  from  these  people,  most  of  whom  exist  in  a  condition  of  poverty  of  which 
the  people  in  Western  lands  know  almost  nothing. 

An  unusual  incident  occurred  during  the  year  in  the  Bijnor  District,  NORTH 
INDIA  CONFERENCE.  One  of  our  Methodist  native  preachers  was  invited 
by  the  Mohammedans  of  his  vicinity  to  occupy  the  “mimber”  or  pulpit  in  a 
Mohammedan  mosque,  a  privilege  which  is  almost  universally  reserved  for  maulvis, 
the  Mohammedan  priests  or  holy  men.  The  invitation  was  the  result  of  a  contro¬ 
versial  pamphlet  which  the  minister  had  written  against  the  religious  movement 
known  as  the  Arya  Somaj,  with  whose  leaders  the  Mohammedans  also  had  a 
controversy. 

The  number  of  villages  and  settlements  in  the  Moradabad  District  in  which 
Methodist  Christians  were  living  in  1  906  exceeded  1 ,200,  and  Methodist  Chris¬ 
tian  workers  are  said  to  have  been  working  regularly  in  400  other  villages  in  that 
district.  The  Christian  community  of  that  district  alone  numbers  15,000  people. 
The  presiding  elder  of  the  district  reports  that  idolatry  is  rapidly  vanishing,  ninety- 
six  shrines  having  been  destroyed  in  1 906.  The  attitude  of  many  Hindu  teachers 
in  this  region  is  expressed  in  the  words  of  one  who  said,  when  referring  to  a  sermon 
by  a  Methodist  preacher:  “The  theme  of  the  preacher  was  the  incarnation  and 
deeds  of  the  Christian  Avatar  (Saviour)  and  not  the  abuse  of  our  gods.” 

The  work  among  the  servant  classes  has  become  one  of  the  especially  suc¬ 
cessful  lines  of  work  at  Allahabad,  in  the  NORTHWEST  INDIA  CONFER¬ 
ENCE.  There  are  several  thousands  of  this  class  in  Allahabad,  and  they  have 
been  found  a  most  accessible  class  in  which  to  work. 

The  year  1906  brought  Meerut  District  an  unprecedented  number  of  in¬ 
quirers  among  the  higher  castes  and  classes.  Several  have  been  baptized,  but 
timidity  has  kept  most  of  them  from  crossing  this  Rubicon.  One  man  baptized 
was  the  head  of  the  civil  government  in  what  would  correspond  with  a  township 
in  the  homeland,  though  in  India  such  a  territory  would  have  a  population  of  well- 
nigh  a  quarter  of  a  million.  He  has  put  two  of  his  stepsons  into  the  Methodist 
boarding  school. 

At  Bidar,  the  only  station  in  the  SOUTH  INDIA  CONFERENCE  where 
we  have  medical  missionary  work,  a  dispensary  was  erected  during  the  year.  At 
this  center  plans  have  been  consummated  for  the  opening  of  Christian  boarding 
schools  for  boys  and  girls.  So  deep  is  the  interest  among  the  Christians  about  this 
mission  station  that  ordinary  day  laborers  have  been  putting  forth  great  efforts  to 
win  their  neighbors  for  Christ. 

The  Baldwin  Boys’  High  School,  in  Bangalore,  had  an  especially  prosperous 
year.  The  enrollment  reached  1 83,  of  whom  83  were  boarders.  The  rapid 
increase  in  the  number  of  boarders  made  necessary  the  erection  of  an  additional 
building. 

The  name  of  the  Kathiawad  District  appears  in  the  minutes  of  BOMBAY 
CONFERENCE  this  year  for  the  first  time.  This  work  covers  the  western 


peninsula  for  which  it  is  named,  and  is  a  result  of  the  expansion  of  the  work  in 
Gujarat.  But  six  years  have  passed  since  the  Rev.  William  E.  Robbins  and  the 
Rev.  D.  O.  Fox  baptized  the  first  converts  in  this  region.  The  work  has  ad¬ 
vanced  so  rapidly  that  it  was  set  off  as  a  separate  presiding  elder’s  district  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year. 

The  unique  English-speaking  work  comprised  in  the  Bombay  District  has 
reached  a  remarkable  financial  condition.  The  Bowen  Church,  in  Bombay,  and 
the  congregation  at  Igatpuri,  besides  three  other  smaller  churches,  are  practically 
self-supporting,  and  the  whole  district  is  nearly  independent  financially.  Further¬ 
more,  there  is  a  considerable  amount  of  mission  work  being  carried  on  among  the 
natives  in  and  around  Bombay,  entirely  at  the  expense  of  the  members  of  the 
English-speaking  congregations. 

The  Gujarat  District,  where  a  great  mass  movement  has  been  in  progress 
for  the  last  few  years,  continued  its  phenomenal  work  during  1 906.  Upwards 
of  2,600  baptisms  were  reported  for  the  year,  the  largest  number  in  the  history  of 
the  district  in  any  year  except  1901,  when  baptism  was  resumed  after  two  years 
cessation,  due  to  famine.  In  spite  of  the  tremendous  mortality  list  of  1,123  in  the 
baptized  community,  ^  the  number  of  baptized  Methodists  has  reached  1 8,000, 
with  several  thousands  more  awaiting  baptism.  The  Florence  B.  Nicholson 
Memorial  School  of  Theology  was  dedicated  early  in  the  year  at  Baroda,  and  the 
regular  theological  school  was  opened  with  a  class  of  fifteen  in  November.  This 
is  the  second  school  of  theology  to  be  opened  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  India,  and  the  first  in  the  western  part  of  the  country. 

Beginning  early  in  February  unusual  religious  awakenings  took  place  in  three 
of  the  central  stations  of  the  Jabalpur  District,  CENTRAL  PROVINCES 
MISSION  CONFERENCE,  namely,  Jabalpur,  Khandwa,  and  Narsinghpur. 

The  Sironcha  Circuit,  of  the  Godavery  District,  showed  a  remarkable  in¬ 
crease  in  the  contributions  by  natives.  The  use  of  the  tithing  system  resulted  in 
the  doubling  of  collections  in  one  year,  meaning  a  tenfold  increase  over  the  con¬ 
tributions  of  three  years  ago. 

During  the  year  a  high  school  department  was  added  to  the  Hardwicke 
Christian  Boys*  School,  in  Narsinghpur,  and  the  doors  of  the  institution  were 
thrown  open  to  non-Christians,  with  the  result  that  eighty-five  Hindus  and  Moham¬ 
medans  have  been  enrolled,  all  of  whom  are  receiving  systematic  teaching  in  the 
New  Testament.  The  200  students  of  this  school  are  taught  in  five  languages — 
Urdu,  Hindi,  Persian,  Sanscrit,  and  English. 

The  Tirhoot  District,  BENGAL  CONFERENCE,  has  been  enlarged  by 
the  taking  over  of  a  new  circuit,  which,  for  financial  reasons,  had  been  abandoned 
by  another  mission.  The  Methodist  workers  found  250  Christians  on  the  circuit. 
They  state  that  the  addition  of  this  new  territory  to  the  Bengal  Conference  brings 
with  it  the  responsibility  for  1 ,000,000  more  unevangelized  people. 

In  spite  of  depleted  missionary  forces,  work  has  been  continued  successfully 
among  Burmese,  Chinese,  Tamils,  and  Telugus  in  the  various  mission  centers  of 
BURMA  MISSION  CONFERENCE.  In  connection  with  the  Burmese  work 
a  new  school  was  opened  at  Dabein. 


3 


The  better  organization  of  the  Burmese  Church  has  been  aided  by  the 
publication  in  Burmese  of  a  handbook  of  the  doctrine  and  polity  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  This  book  contains  translations  of  certain  sections  of  the 
Discipline  of  1 904.  Burmese  Methodism  is  also  at  work  on  the  publication  of  a 
new  hymnal,  containing  one  hundred  religious  songs. 

^  ^  ^  ^ 


One  of  the  striking  features  of  the  work  in  the  MALAY  PENINSULA 
was  the  discovery  and  promotion  of  what  is  said  to  be  an  anti-opium  remedy.  A 
»  ^  jungle  leaf  was  found  which  acted  as  a  “specific” 

A  I  ^  VQl  PI  remedy  against  opium,  and  a  young  Chinese  connected 
^  ^  ^  ^  with  the  Methodist  Mission  in  Kuala  Lumpur,  secured 

a  large  amount  of  the  leaves,  which  were  dried,  boiled,  and  given  out  as  medicine 
to  opium  smokers.  What  seemed  to  be  cures  were  effected  and  the  demand  for 
the  medicine  increased  so  rapidly  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  missionary  and 
native  Christian  forces  to  cope  with  the  situation.  Within  two  months  the  remedy 
was  in  use  all  over  the  Malay  Peninsula  and  at  Singapore'  and  Penang  and  re¬ 
quests  had  been  received  by  the  missionaries  even  from  Java  and  Sumatra.  In 
the  first  two  months  of  this  work  nearly  .30,000  applicants  had  asked  for  the 
medicine,  and  hundreds  testified  as  being  cured.  At  the  Methodist  Mission  Hall 
the  preachers  and  young  men  worked  almost  night  and  day,  and  three  preaching 
services  were  held  each  day,  so  that  the  applicants  for  the  anti-opium  medicine 
were  given  healing  truths  for  their  souls. 

The  largest  single  enterprise  carried  forward  by  the  Methodist  Mission  in 
Malaysia  is  the  ’•emarkable  educational  institution,  the  Anglo-Chinese  School,  at 
Singapore.  This  year  the  work  occupied  the  time  and  energy  of  five  men  and 
four  women  missionaries,  in  addition  to  the  large  staff  of  other  teachers.  The  en¬ 
rollment  reached  the  1 ,000  mark  during  the  year. 


Our  mission  in  JAVA,  though  but  one  and  a  half  years  old,  has  already 
passed  the  experimental  stage,  and  is  a  most  gratifying  success.  The  Moham¬ 
medanism  of  the  Malays  is  less  obstinate  there,  and  many  of  them  are  found  among 
the  1 88  members  and  probationers  reported,  the  other  members  being  Chinese. 
Two  day  schools  report  a  total  enrollment  of  255  pupils.  The  United  States 
Consul  General  at  Singapore  while  on  a  vacation  visit  to  Java  had  an  opportunity 
to  see  the  work  of  American  Methodism  there,  and  he  speaks  very  highly  of  its 
progress. 


NORTH  BORNEO  was  without  a  missionary  during  the  year,  owing  to 
the  absence  on  furlough  of  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  Hoover.  The  school  at 
Sibu  and  the  various  preaching  appointments  were  kept  up  under  the  care  of 
faithful  native  workers.  The  colony  has  students  preparing  for  the  ministry  in  the 
training  school  at  Singapore. 

At  the  Annual  Conference  of  1 906  Mr.  C.  M.  Worthington  was  ap¬ 
pointed  to  WEST  BORNEO,  with  instructions  to  open  a  school  in  Pontianak. 
The  Dutch  authorities  made  no  objection  to  this  plan,  but  their  law  forbids  the 


establishment  of  religious  work  without  reference  to  government.  Application  for 
permission  has  been  duly  made.  Meanwhile  the  school  at  Pontianak  reports  an 
attendance  of  eighty  pupils.  At  Singkawang  a  Chinese  druggist  holds  a 
Methodist  local  preacher’s  license,  but  lacks  the  government’s  authority  to  use  it. 

>> 


The  marvellous  growth  of  the  work  in  this  mission  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
the  missionaries  on  the  field  have  exceeded  their  limit  in  receiving  new  members,  in 

•  Y  1  1  cannot  care  adequately 

Phihppme  Islands  t;fS.''~rr2S66ti 

bers  and  probationers  in  1905,  the  membership  increased  to  16,133  in  1906. 
At  the  Conference  in  March,  1907,  the  membership  passed  beyond  20,000. 

Self-support  is  a  growing  feature  of  the  work.  Three  of  the  native  preachers 
on  the  Manila  District  in  1 906  received  all  of  their  support  from  their  circuits,  and 
most  of  the  others  received  a  large  part  of  their  living  from  the  field.  Every  circuit 
on  the  district  contributed  something  for  its  preacher,  although  the  people  are  very 
poor. 

The  new  Central  Church  (American)  in  Manila  was  completed  at  a  cost 
of  about  $12,000.  It  is  a  beautiful  structure  of  cement  blocks  that  give  the  ap¬ 
pearance  of  rough-faced  stone.  It  is  an  ornament  to  our  work  and  will  meet  the 
need  of  the  American  population.  Work  was  begun  on  the  new  Knox  Memorial 
Filipino  Church  of  Manila.  This  will  be  a  large  and  commodious  structure. 


According  to  Bishop  Bashford,  the  most  striking  fact  in  modem  history  is 
the  awakening  of  China  during  the  last  five  years.  Dr.  Arthur  Smith  thinks  that 
^  China  in  respect  to  her  attitude  toward  modern  civilization  has 

C  hlTl^  making  progress  in  the  last  few  years  at  a  faster  compara- 

^*^*****^  tive  rate  than  any  other  nation  upon  the  face  of  the  globe.  Sir 
Robert  Hart,  the  ablest  Englishman  in  China,  says  that  Dr.  Smith’s  view  is  sub¬ 
stantially  correct,  and  that  “China’s  only  hope  in  the  present  crisis  is  such  a  revival 
of  Christianity  among  Western  nations  as  shall  lead  them  to  evangelize  the  empire.’’ 
Among  the  numerous  changes  which  characterize  this  progress  of  China  are  the 
extension  of  the  postal  system,  educational  reform,  and  the  establishment  of  thou¬ 
sands  of  schools  in  which  Western  learning  is  introduced,  the  outgoing  of  large 
numbers  of  young  Chinese  to  Japan,  Europe,  and  America  for  study  in  modern 
universities,  the  increase  in  the  railroads  and  telegraphs,  and  the  spread  of  the 
English  language.  The  viceroy  pf  the  Hupeh  and  Hunan  Provinces,  Chang  Chih 
Tung,  issued  a  decree  that  among  the  58,000,000  people  over  whom  he  rules, 
the  New  Testament  henceforth  shall  be  taught  side  by  side  with  the  Confucian 
classics.  It  is  said  that  during  the  last  year  1  0,000  temples  have  been  turned  into 
schools,  preparatory,  normal,  police,  and  agricultural — while  others  have  been 
fitted  up  for  hospitals.  Colleges,  naval,  military,  medical,  scientific,  and  other 
kinds,  are  being  opened  at  an  incredible  rate.  The  Instructors  are  mostly  Japanese, 


s 


though  all  nationalities  are  employed.  The  army  and  navy  have  been  increased 
and  improved.  Not  only  is  there  strong  public  sentiment  against  foot-binding,  but 
laws  forbid  the  continuance  of  the  custom.  The  government  has  opened  public 
lecture  halls  all  over  the  country,  equipped  with  competent  teachers,  maps,  charts, 
and  pictures.  Millions  of  pages  of  printed  matter,  including  tracts  and  books  on 
the  need  of  reform,  are  everywhere  in  evidence. 

Such  striking  development  has  inevitably  been  felt  by  the  missionaries.  All 
over  the  empire  schools  have  been  crowded  and  the  applications  for  admission 
have  far  surpassed  the  ability  and  equipment  of  our  teaching  force  to  provide  for 
those  who  would  enroll.  Almost  without  exception  our  evangelistic  and  medical 
workers  have  found  a  greater  readiness  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  receive  the 
message.  Requests  that  missionaries  or  native  pastors  should  begin  work  in  prac¬ 
tically  untouched  communities  have  greatly  increased  in  number. 

The  North  China  Conference,  at  its  session  for  1906,  reported  an  Increase 
for  the  year  of  1  2  per  cent  in  the  number  of  baptized  Christians.  Six  schools  have 
been  added  to  the  number  conducted  by  the  mission.  The  enrollment  in  the 
schools  increased  nearly  50  per  cent.  The  increase  in  gifts  for  self-support  by  the 
churches  of  North  China  was  over  25  per  cent  for  the  year. 

Taft  Hall,  the  largest  addition  to  the  noble  group  of  buildings  that  com¬ 
prise  Peking  University,  was  completed.  Sixty  students  of  the  university,  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Band  of  that  institution,  who  have  purposed  to  give 
their  lives  to  Christian  work,  spent  the  summer  in  evangelistic  work  in  the  cities  and 
towns  of  North  China,  with  splendid  results,  both  in  their  own  spiritual  upbuilding 
and  in  the  spreading  of  the  good  news  among  their  heathen  fellow-countrymen. 

A  notable  revival  occurred  at  Nanking,  Central  China,  in  May.  It  began 
with  the  union  meetings  led  by  Mr.  Li,  a  Chinese  evangelist.  The  end  of  the  union 
effort  marked  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  public  meetings  at  Nanking  University, 
which  continued  four  weeks,  with  intense  interest,  resulting  in  a  notable  religious 
awakening  among  the  students  both  of  the  university  and  of  the  Girls’  School. 
These  university  meetings  were  carried  on  by  the  Chinese  with  very  little  counsel 
on  the  part  of  the  missionaries.  The  Chinese  did  the  personal  work,  conducted 
the  daily  prayer  meeting  and  the  classes  for  the  instruction  of  inquirers  and  young 
converts. 

The  Rev.  G.  W.  Verity,  of  Talanfu,  Shantung  Province,  writes:  “My 
heart  is  thrilled  as  I  see  what  God  is  doing  in  this  great  land.  Doors  opened  every¬ 
where  and  inquiries  by  the  dozens  where  there  were  units  a  few  years  ago.  The 
Chinese  are  far  exceeding  our  expectations  in  the  Centennial  Contribution.  Num¬ 
bers  of  places  where  there  are  fifteen  or  twenty  inquirers  are  begging  to  have  a  day 
school  opened  at  a  cost  of  only  $25  (gold)  per  year  (of  which  often  they  will 
pay  half) ,  so  the  teacher  can  teach  them  the  Bible,  too.  In  a  few  years  these  little 
places  will  develop  into  churches.’’ 

A  very  serious  riot  developed  at  Nanchang,  in  Central  China,  in  the  last  of 
February,  resulting  in  the  death  of  six  Roman  Catholic  priests  and  two  Plymouth 
Brethren  missionaries.  Through  timely  aid  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  officials  all 
Methodist  workers  escaped  the  fury  of  the  mob. 

The  large  new  hospital  at  Chentu,  West  China,  and  the  Alden  Speare 
Memorial  Hospital,  at  Yenping,  in  the  Foochow  Conference,  were  completed. 


6 


The  year  ended  with  deplorable  famine  conditions  existing  in  large  parts  of 
Kiangsu  and  Anhui  Provinces,  and  with  the  very  urgent  necessity  for  immediate 
aid  from  the  Christian  nations  of  the  West  if  lives  in  jeopardy,  even  into  the 
millions  in  number,  were  to  be  saved. 

^ 

The  Rev.  William  B.  Scranton,  M.D.,  Superintendent  of  the  Korea  Mission 
Conference,  says:  “The  growth  of  the  church  in  Korea  cannot  be  likened  to  any¬ 
thing  but  the  spreading  of  a  prairie  fire,  and  without  exaggera¬ 
tion  it  is  developing  a  like  force.  Everything  must  shortly  go 
before  its  power  and  onset.  Our  church  at  home  seems  unable 
to  appreciate  the  conditions  in  the  midst  of  which  missionaries  are  working  in  the 
far  East,  and  in  fact,  all  over  Asia;  but  a  few  figures  will  briefly  tell  the  story  of 
the  work  in  Korea,  or  at  least  give  some  idea  of  it.  In  October,  1905,  we  had  a 
joint  District  Conference.  At  that  time  our  total  membership  and  following 
for  the  three  districts — Seoul,  South  Korea,  and  West  Korea — were  only  9,974. 
Thirteen  months  later  our  numbers  stand  at  19,450.  More  than  doubled.  This 
is  the  story  for  the  south  alone.  The  north  also  has  its  own  story  of  marvelous 
growth  to  relate.  Here  in  the  south  we  have  day  schools  starting  up  all  over  our 
work,  beginning  at  their  own  instigation  and  supported  by  their  individual  strug¬ 
gles.  We  now  have  forty  schools,  with  sixty  teachers,  and  a  total  of  nearly  1 ,500 
scholars.  Whole  villages  turn  to  Christ  and  the  Christian  church,  almost  in  a  day, 
casting  away  their  idols  and  heathen  practices  and  humbling  themselves  as  truly 
in  the  sight  of  God  as  did  the  Ninevites  of  old,  beseeching  Him  to  have  mercy  on 
their  afflicted  land.” 

In  the  Pyengyang  District,  one  of  the  northern  districts,  during  the  year  the 
membership  increased  1 00  per  cent,  and  the  contributions  for  the  support  of  the 
work  increased  over  400  per  cent.  On  a  single  circuit  in  Pyengyang  District,  eight 
new  churches  were  secured,  while  others  were  repaired  and  otherwise  improved. 
In  January,  1 906,  on  this  same  circuit,  there  were  twelve  boys’  day  schools,  with 
225  pupils.  A  year  later  there  were  twenty  schools,  with  over  500  pupils. 

The  year  ended  with  the  great  revival  movement  augmenting  week  by  week. 

^  *x*  *x* 

According  to  Bishop  Harris,  the  Russo-Japanese  War  profoundly  affected 
Japan  religiously.  The  first  effect  was  seen  upon  the  court  and  upon  the  emperor 

and  empress,  who  offered  prayers  for  the  triumph  of  their 
troops.  The  army  was  especially  affected  devotionally.  The 
leaders  of  the  army,  the  great  generals,  personally  invoked  the 
blessing  of  heaven  upon  their  undertakings.  The  bishop  says;  “There  is  almost  a 
universal  welcome  to  Christians  and  to  Christianity.  The  nation  has  come  to 
recognize  the  great  benefits  already  received  through  Christianity,  and  the  almost* 
universal  conviction  that  Christianity  is  a  necessity,  and  when  it  becomes  fully 
known,  and  enters  into  the  life  of  the  people,  that  much  larger  benefits  will  be 
experienced.  Another  result  of  the  war  is  a  very  marked  increase  of  attendance 
upon  the  churches  and  chapels  and  upon  the  Christian  schools.  In  this  connection. 


7 


also,  there  is  a  new  spirit  of  inquiry  and  a  readiness  to  hear  and  believe  that  is  very 
unusual,  and  is  observed  in  all  parts  of  the  empire.  The  schools  for  young  men 
and  young  women  and  all  Christian  schools  in  Japan  are  overcrowded  and  the 
position  of  these  schools  is  in  every  way  free  from  any  embarrassments.  So  greatly 
are  they  in  favor  that  the  Japanese  Educational  Department  has  taken  unusual 
pains  to  render  the  position  of  these  private  and  Christian  schools  entirely  free  from 
all  disabilities  and  to  create  conditions  wholly  favorable  to  the  prosecution  of 
their  work.  The  friendship  of  American  Christians  and  of  the  Christian  world 
during  the  dark  hours  of  the  nation’s  life  more  profoundly  affected  Japan  and  in¬ 
fluenced  her  toward  Christianity  than  any  other  thing  that  has  occurred.  The 
Christian  churches  are  in  a  very  healthy  condition.  There  is  no  vast  movement  of 
multitudes  seeking  immediate  admission  into  the  church,  but  it  is  a  steady,  normal 
and  ever-growing  movement  toward  Christianity,  as  observed  in  the  nation,” 

A  new  building  for  our  publishing  house  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$25,000.  This  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  attractive  buildings  in  the  most 
important  business  section  of  the  capital  city  of  Tokyo.  It  shelters  the  only  Chris¬ 
tian  Mission  Press  in  the  Japanese  Empire.  The  printing  is  done  in  seven  different 
languages.  The  institution  makes  its  own  type  and  does  its  own  electrotyping, 
stereotyping,  and  binding.  A  new  building  for  Chinzei  College,  at  Nagasaki, 
was  erected,  the  total  cost  of  building  and  furnishing  being  about  $  1 0,000. 
The  structure  is  of  brick  and  is  capable  of  accommodating  nearly  400  students. 
The  old  buildings  will  be  used  for  dormitory  purposes.  New  buildings  for  classes 
and  administration  at  the  Anglo-Japanese  College  at  Tokyo  were  also  finished. 

A  serious  famine  in  Japan,  affecting  a  territory  covering  an  area  of '15,000 
square  miles,  was  undergone  during  the  early  months  of  the  year  and  comprised 
one  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  year’s  experience  for  the  missionaries,  these 
giving  themselves  unstintedly  to  the  securing  of  funds  and  distribution  of  relief. 

The  Joint  Commission  of  the  Union  of  Methodism  in  Japan,  composed  of 
representatives  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Methodist .  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  and  the  Methodist  Church  of  Canada,  met  in  Buffalo,  in  July. 
After  two  days  of  patient  and  prayerful  consideration  articles  of  union  were 
unanimously  adopted  and  provision  made  for  the  organization  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Japan.  This  new  union  church  is  modeled  after  the  organization  of 
the  three  uniting  churches,  and  includes  General,  Annual,  District,  and  Quarterly 
Conferences,  with  well-defined  duties  and  powers.  The  General  Conference  will 
meet  quadrennially  and  be  composed  of  an  equal  number  of  ministerial  and  lay 
delegates.  The  itinerant  system  is  preserved,  and  an  itinerant  general  superin¬ 
tendency  provided.  The  first  General  Conference  was  to  meet  in  the  city  of 
Tokyo,  in  May,  1907,  and  commissioners  representing  the  uniting  churches  were 
to  be  present  at  this  gathering,  to  assist  by  counsel  and  consultation  in  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  the  new  church. 

The  Methodist  Church  in  Japan  will  have  over  1 2,000  members,  1 28  or¬ 
ganized  churches,  1  39  ministers,  62  Bible  women,  1 4  boarding  schools  for  both 
sexes,  with  2,729  pupils;  32  day  schools,  with  2,713  pupils;  2  theological 
schools,  with  53  students.  The  value  of  churches  and  parsonages  is  above 
$100,000  (gold).  There  will  be  three  colleges  for  men  and  13  middle  schools 
for  young  women. 


8 


In  LIBERIA,  at  present,  the  secretaries  of  the  treasury  and  of  the  interior, 
the  postmaster-general,  and  the  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  governor 
^  g*  0  County  of  Montserrado,  the  collector  of  customs,  and 

many  other  officials  and  representatives  of  the  government  and 
^  also  some  of  the  principal  merchants  are  members  of  the  Meth¬ 
odist  Episcopal  Church.  The  reports  at  the  Conference  held  at  the  close  of  the 
year  showed  a  total  membership  of  4,105,  property  valued  at  about  $90,000, 
and  total  collections  on  the  field,  $12,000.  Our  churches  at  the  two  principal 
centers.  Cape  Palmas  and  Monrovia,  are  entirely  self-supporting.  The  church  at 
Monrovia  not  only  pays  all  its  own  expenses,  but  also  helps  Bishop  Scott  in  his 
work  among  the  heathen  at  Krootown. 


On  November  1  6,  the  Rev.  W.  P.  Dodson,  the  presiding  elder  in  charge  of 
ANGOLA,  sent  two  preachers  from  Loanda  to  start  a  mission  at  Kalombaloka, 
where  is  the  largest  concentration  of  native  population  he  had  seen  in  Angola  out¬ 
side  of  Loanda.  It  is  situated  in  the  district  of  Icole  and  Bengo.  One  new  station 
has  been  opened  among  the  raw  heathen  in  a  locality  called  Nzengele,  another 
among  the  more  civilized  Ambaequistas,  at  Nzamba.  These,  with  Kalombaloka, 
give  three  new  stations  among  the  natives,  which,  with  the  original  three,  makes 
the  number  now  six,  with  prospects  for  others.  Famine  has  interfered  with  this 
native  work  during  the  year. 


One  of  the  most  important  events  of  the  year  in  MADEIRA  was  the 
building  of  a  chapel  at  Machico  at  a  cost  of  $1,500,  the  money  being  supplied 
partly  by  the  Missionary  Society  and  partly  by  friends  through  Bishop  Hartzell. 
The  chapel  was  opened  on  October  29. 

I 

There  are  more  than  800  people  in  the  INHAMBANE  DISTRICT, 
East  Africa,  who  recite  the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Apostles’  Creed,  and  the 
Church  Catechism  every  Sunday,  and  who  repeat  the  Lord’s  Prayer  twice  in 
public  services  daily.  Dr.  E.  H.  Richards,  the  missionary  in  charge,  writes:  “We 
will  not  give  place  to  any  average  church  in  the  homeland  in  our  ability  to  recite 
all  these  teachings,  together  with  eight  of  the  best  psalms  of  David.  Whole  sta¬ 
tions  can  recite  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Paul’s  Sermon  at  Athens,  the  last  half 
of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians,  and  the  whole  of  our  hymn  book  of 
200  church  hymns,’’ 

One  of  the  most  encouraging  features  of  the  work  in  RHODESIA  is  the 
spread  of  missionary  activities  among  the  native  tribes  at  some  distance  from  the 
headquarters  at  Umtali  and  Old  Umtali.  Early  in  the  year  the  Rev.  Shirley  D. 
Coffin  toured  widely  among  the  native  kraals,  visiting  1  50  in  all,  and  preaching  in 
135.  Of  the  25,000  people  to  whom  he  preached  at  least  once,  more  than 
20,000  had  never  before  heard  the  gospel.  The  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  M. 
Springer  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Wodehouse  conducted  similar  tours  during  the 
year,  reaching  many  thousands  of  natives  who  never  before  were  brought  in  touch 
with  foreign  Christian  teachers. 

9 


4 


Bishop  William  Burt,  in  review  of  the  work  in  Europe,  says:  “There  have 
been  features  of  special  interest  in  connection  with  the  European  Conferences  this 

year.  In  ITALY  we  celebrated  our  twenty-fifth  anniversary, 
M  and  it  was  a  pleasant  and  profitable  occasion.  In  SWIT- 

ZERLAND  We  celebrated  the  jubilee,  and  it  was  memor¬ 
able  for  the  records  of  the  victories  won.  In  NORWAY  also  it  was  the  jubilee 
year,  and  those  present  will  not  soon  forget  the  manifest  presence  and  power  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  At  the  Sunday  services  held  in  the  woods  there  were  no  less 
than  four  thousand  people,  and  many  sought  and  found  the  Saviour. 


“We  have  had  many  victories  during  the  year.  NORTH  GERMANY 
CONFERENCE  alone  reports  a  net  gain  of  1 ,060,  and  most  of  this  gain  is  in 
Saxony,  where  the  persecution  has  been  the  most  obstinate.  The  Lord  has  given 
success  in  HUNGARY.  Last  year  we  were  looking  for  a  hall  in  which  to 
worship  in  Budapest.  Now  we  have  a  Methodist  community  there  of  about  one 
hundred  faithful  souls.  We  have  again  opened  our  church  in  Trieste,  though 
under  restrictions.  There  are  many  encouraging  signs  in  Bulgaria. 

“Nearly  all  the  Conferences  have  made  very  decided  progress  in  the  matter 
of  self-support,  and  several  of  them  are  giving  very  generously  toward  the  mis¬ 
sionary  cause,  both  through  the  regular  collections  and  by  special  gifts. 

“In  FINLAND  today  we  enjoy  full  liberty,  and  the  people  are  anxious  to 
hear  the  Word  of  Life.  We  held  the  Conference  this  year  in  our  Finnish  church 
at  Viborg,  very  near  the  Russian  frontier.  The  only  sign  of  the  former  tyranny 
was  the  presence  of  Russian  soldiers.  We  have  had  quite  a  revival  among  the 
Germans  in  Southern  Russia.  At  the  Conference  in  Viborg  we  appointed  the 
Rev.  F.  H.  Salmi  as  preacher  in  charge  at  Saint  Petersburg.  This  is  the  first 
appointment  of  a  Methodist  preacher  who  speaks  the  Russian  language.” 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Missionary  Committee  in  November,  Bishop 
Burt  announced  that  $5,000  had  been  promised  him  for  the  purpose  of  opening 
a  Methodist  mission  in  FRANCE,  and  the  General  Committee  gave  the  bishop 
permission  to  begin  work  in  that  Republic.  The  Rev.  A.  H.  Lambert  was  ac¬ 
cordingly  sent  by  the  bishop  to  Marseilles. 

The  work  on  the  Atlantic  coast  has  enjoyed  a  year  of  steady,  encouraging 
progress,  shown  especially  in  the  opening  of  new  work  and  in  the  completion  of 

several  new  churches  and  chapels  in  the 
established  missions.  At  Parana,  Ar¬ 
gentina,  a  new  building  was  finished  and 
opened  for  public  worship,  free  of  debt.  At  Venada  Tuerto,  a  new  chapel,  school 
room,  and  parsonage  were  dedicated  during  the  year.  In  Bahia  Blanca,  which  is 
said  to  be  second  only  to  Buenos  Ayres  among  the  cities  of  Argentina,  a  commo¬ 
dious  and  graceful  structure  was  opened  to  the  public  about  the  end  of  November, 
the  entire  work  from  the  drawing  up  of  the  contract  having  been  accomplished 


South  America 


since  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  March.  This  church,  which  will  accommo¬ 
date  between  300  and  400  people,  and  to  which  a  convenient  school  room  is 
attached,  is  said  to  be  the  only  Protestant  church  in  an  area  of  many  hundred 
square  miles. 

Reports  from  ARGENTINA  and  PARAGUAY  in  particular  refer  to  new 
work  begun  during  1 906.  Several  of  the  points  mentioned  in  the  annual  report  of 
the  Southern  District,  in  Argentina,  appear  for  the  first  time  in  this  year’s  report. 
At  Alexandra,  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  province  of  Santa  Fe,  Methodist 
activities  were  begun  under  most  favorable  auspices.  In  Paraguay  an  interesting 
enterprise  has  developed  among  the  native  peasantry  of  the  interior,  and  at  several 
points  new  societies  have  been  organized  during  the  year. 

An  unusual  opportunity  for  Methodism  has  presented  itself  in  BOLIVIA. 
A  letter  from  the  Rev.  F.  M.  Harrington,  written  from  La  Paz,  August  30,  stated 
that  the  Bolivian  government  had  offered  him  an  annual  subsidy  of  1  5,000  Bolivian 
dollars  for  the  maintenance  of  a  high  grade  school  in  La  Paz,  and  had  offered  to 
place  this  school  under  the  control  and  direction  of  the  Methodist  missionaries.  In 
addition,  there  was  placed  at  the  disposition  of  Mr.  Harrington  a  large  sum  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  and  supplying  with  a  faculty  the  government  high  school  in 
Oruro,  the  railway  center  of  Bolivia.  Several  Methodists  have  gone  out  to  fill 
these  positions.  They  will  have  unhampered  opportunities  outside  of  their  hours 
of  instruction  for  teaching  and  preaching  the  gospel  and  for  winning  the  young 
people  of  Bolivia  to  the  cause  of  evangelical  Christianity. 

The  work  in  CHILE  has  passed  out  of  the  experimental  stage.  It  is  well 
established  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  Republic,  and  during  the  past  year  has 
been  spreading  into  the  smaller  towns.  The  missionaries  report  that  prejudice  is 
dying  out  as  the  people  come  to  understand  the  gospel  as  presented  by  the 
Methodist  workers.  There  have  been  many  conversions  during  the  year  and  con¬ 
sequently  the  conditions  in  the  stations  already  occupied  make  enlargement  almost 
imperative.  Some  stations  have  grown  into  circuits  too  large  for  the  present  staff 
to  handle  adequately.  There  are  urgent  calls  for  our  workers  to  enter  large  towns 
varying  in  population  from  30,000  to  40,000.  Self-supporting  churches  have 
increased  in  number,  notable  among  these  being  the  church  at  Punta  Arenas,  that 
picturesque  community  on  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  in  the  far  southern  part  of  the 
Republic. 

The  most  encouraging  report  from  PERU  is  that  the  attitude  of  the  people 
toward  the  gospel  was  more  friendly  during  the  year  than  ever  before.  The  greatest 
hindrance  to  the  progress  of  evangelical  Christianity  in  that  country  has  been  the 
bitter  opposition  of  fanatics,  the  opposition  in  Lima  and  Huancayo  having  been 
most  marked  previous  to  1 906.  The  diminishing  of  this  hindrance  and  the  in¬ 
creasing  respect  and  friendliness  of  the  people  toward  the  gospel  have  been  men¬ 
tioned  by  missionaries  who  have  written  during  1 906.  Another  encouraging 
feature  of  the  work  in  this  Republic  has  been  a  decided  increase  in  the  contribu¬ 
tions  of  the  people  for  the  advancement  of  the  work  of  the  church. 


That  there  have  been  four  conversions  among  Americans  in  our  mission  at 
PANAMA  should  be  a  matter  for  encouragement,  as  the  community  on  the 
Isthmus  is  notable  for  its  religious  indifference.  The  church-going  population  is 
very  small  and  is  made  up  of  transients.  The  unsettled  state  of  affairs  makes  this 
work  very  difficult.  More  encouraging  is  the  mission  to  Spanish-speaking  people, 
with  its  church  and  educational  work  in  the  city  of  Panama.  The  fact  that  the 
English  language  is  taught  in  the  school  has  attracted  many  of  the  Spanish-speaking 
people  to  our  church.  The  congregations  have  increased  in  size  throughout  the 
year,  an  encouraging  feature  being  the  large  proportionate  increase  in  the  number 
of  women  attending.  In  one  month  there  were  nine  conversions. 


>>  *x* 


Splendid  revivals  were  conducted  during  the  year,  especially  in  Mexico  City. 
The  revival  which  took  place  in  the  capital  is  said  to  have  surpassed  any  before 

witnessed  in  the  country.  Perhaps  its  most  encouraging 
feature  was  that  the  services  were  conducted  almost  ex¬ 
clusively  by  native  leaders.  Both  old  and  young  were 
reached  and  in  some  cases  entire  families  were  brought  into  the  church. 

Two  features  tend  to  show  that  the  spiritual  condition  of  Mexican  Methodists 
is  continually  improving.  The  native  pastors  have  been  grappling  successfully  with 
Mormonism  and  have  been  prominent  in  the  struggle  for  temperance  and  civic 
righteousness.  The  contributions  of  the  native  church  were  larger  in  1 906  than 
ever  before,  having  exceeded  $  1  00,000  Mexican. 

Our  large  and  successful  educational  work  was  vigorous  and  aggressive  and 
served  not  only  to  accomplish  its  primary  purpose,  but  also  to  win  many  to  the 
religious  enterprise  to  which  it  owes  its  existence.  1  he  school  in  Puebla,  which 
began  a  few  years  ago  with  a  dozen  pupils,  had  on  its  rolls  during  the  year  some 
600  students,  some  of  whom  were  the  children  of  government  officials,  who  have 
come  to  entrust  the  education  of  their  children  to  the  care  of  Methodist  missionaries. 
Our  three  schools  in  Pachuca  reported  about  800  children  under  instruction. 


Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


